Dunbar crash: Tributes at Jenna Barbour funeral

ALAN MCEWEN

DUNBAR paused to pay a tearful farewell to one of the tragic teens killed in a horror road smash.

Jenna Barbour’s brightly painted sky blue coffin was carried into the church covered with pictures of horses to reflect the “great passion” of her young life.

She had been a tireless supporter of Riding for the Disabled prior to the smash which shocked the whole of Dunbar.

Parents Sandra and Drew and brother Gregor were supported by 200 mourners – many of them youngsters in their school uniforms – during yesterday morning’s moving service at Belhaven Church.

It was the first to be held for the victims of the horror car crash which claimed the lives of 18-year-old Jenna and friends, Josh Stewart, 16, and David Armstrong, 15. The Peugeot 206 they were in crashed after it hit a wall near Tyninghame on November 26.

Songs chosen by her friends, including I Got A Woman by Ray Charles, In Too Deep by Sum 41, and (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding, were played while a large screen showed images of adventurous Jenna on horseback, bungee jumping and river rafting.

Humanist celebrant Ivan Middleton spoke of the teenager’s “gentleness and thoughtfulness”, and said the lives of those who knew her will “never be the same without her”.

He told the mourners: “She lives on in our memories. It was a life so young and tragically cut too short.

“She lived a good life and lived it incredibly well. She spent all her time trying to make other people happy.”

They heard how mum Sandra described her as “delightfully full of nonsense”, that she was born in Sheffield and was a “lovely baby” who walked at nine months.

Her adventurous spirit saw her dive with sharks at Deep Sea World for her 16th birthday and do a bungee jump for her 17th.

With her “quiet self-confidence” and organisational skills, she raised money for the Riding for the Disabled charity where she volunteered.

The congregation also heard about a trip Jenna planned to take with her best friend, referred to only as Natalie. The pair had been planning to travel to New Zealand to enjoy a skydiving adventure and had already booked tickets. Natalie delivered her own tearful tribute, revealing she had got a horseshoe tattooed on her wrist “just like” Jenna’s, and said: “Travelling will never be the same without you, but I’m sure you will be guiding me to share the experience.”.

Jenna was later interred in Binning Memorial Wood at Tyninghame.

David’s funeral will take place at the Our Lady of the Waves church in Dunbar today while Josh’s will be held at Stenhouse Parish Church on Monday.

Yellow card for footballer’s tribute

A REFEREE was booed after booking a football player who paid tribute to the three teenagers.

Ross Colquhoun, from Tranent, was playing in a derby at the weekend when he was shown a yellow card for sporting a handwritten message on a T-shirt below his team strip.

The Juniors player scored for Tranent against Haddington Athletic and revealed the message which said: “Josh, Jenna, David, Forever in our hearts x.”

Mr Colquhoun said: “I actually told the ref before the game I was going to do it if I scored. When I was booked it was greeted by boos from both sets of supporters.”